September Topping Off...
Monday, September 8, 2014
…Energy Distribution Partners (EDP; Chicago) has acquired Quality Propane of Burnsville and Kellogg, Minn.. Terms of the transaction were not released. Quality Propane serves more than 2500 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the greater Minneapolis area, as well as Hastings, Kellogg, and Utica, Minn. and Alma, Wis. The previous owners, as well as Quality Propane employees, will remain with the company, which will continue to operate under its previous name…
ProCOT Hosting 3rd Annual Emergency Responders Event
Monday, September 8, 2014
The Propane Council of Texas (ProCOT) is inviting propane professionals to its 3rd annual Texas Propane Emergency Responders Training event Sept. 29-30 at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s Brayton Training Field in College Station. The emergency responders’ conference is a 16-hour education session that includes classroom training and live fire training. Instructors have extensive propane experience in addition to being firefighters.
Pembina Chooses Portland for West Coast Export Terminal
Monday, September 8, 2014
Pembina Pipeline Corp. (Calgary) said Sept. 2 it had selected the Port of Portland, Ore. as the site of its planned West Coast propane export terminal project. On Aug. 28, Pembina entered into an agreement with the Port of Portland that establishes the terminal, which includes an existing marine berth for development of the project. The terminal agreement outlines the commercial lease terms.
Oneok Completes Garden Creek II Natural Gas Processing Facility
Monday, September 8, 2014
Oneok Partners LP (Tulsa) said Aug. 26 that its 100-MMcfd natural gas processing facility in eastern McKenzie County, N.D., the Garden Creek II plant, is now operational. The new plant is part of the partnership’s $7-billion to $7.5-billion capital growth program that extends through 2016.
NPGA Urges Industry to Contact Senators for S. 2762
Monday, September 8, 2014
The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) Sept. 3 issued a legislative alert urging its members to contact their U.S. senators and enlist them to cosponsor and support the Propane Supply and Security Act of 2014, S. 2762. NPGA notes that the legislation contains a number of favorable provisions that will help the propane industry respond to winter challenges in the future.
PERC Appoints New Director Of Ag Business Development
Monday, September 8, 2014
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has appointed Cinch Munson as its new director of agriculture business development. Munson will lead PERC’s product development efforts in the agricultural market, which have already resulted in a number of new technologies that help farmers cut fuel costs and improve the efficiency of their operations. Examples include propane-powered irrigation engines, grain dryers, generators, and thermal weed and pest control products.
IC Bus Rolling Out Propane CE Series Models Next Year
Monday, September 8, 2014
School Bus manufacturer IC Bus (Lisle, Ill.) will introduce its CE Series with Power Solutions International’s (PSI; Wood Dale, Ill.) 8.8-liter propane engine next summer for the start of the 2015-2016 school year. With the launch, all three major U.S. school bus original equipment manufacturers will have propane offerings.
Conway, Mont Belvieu Spots Draw Nearly Even
Monday, September 8, 2014
Spot propane at Mont Belvieu and Conway, Kan. was in near-equal territory mid-morning Thursday just prior to the release of the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) inventory report, delayed by a day due to the Monday Labor Day holiday. Values at both market hubs edged higher compared to the Friday, Aug. 29 email Update, with Belvieu gaining 0.875 to 1.125 cents and Conway hardening by 2.375 cents between the two reporting periods. Market watchers noted that on Wednesday front-month propane prices jumped a penny to two cents, rising along with crude oil.
Ferrellgas Expanding Eagle Ford Operations, Acquires 2 Facilities
Monday, September 8, 2014
Ferrellgas Partners LP (Overland Park, Kan.) said Sept. 2 it had entered into an agreement to acquire two saltwater disposal (SWD) wells in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas from C&E Production LLC (C&E; Bryan, Texas) and its affiliates. The acquisition will increase Ferrellgas’ SWD wells in the region to eight.
EnLink to Expand Bearkat, Forms Joint Venture with Marathon
Monday, September 8, 2014
The EnLink Midstream companies, EnLink Midstream Partners LP and EnLink Midstream LLC (Dallas), have launched two growth projects to expand operations in West Texas and South Louisiana. The partnership will construct a new natural gas processing plant and expand its rich gas gathering system in the Permian Basin and build a new 30-mile NGL pipeline connecting EnLink’s Riverside fractionation and terminal complex to Marathon Petroleum’s Garyville, La. refinery on the Mississippi River.
COMMENTARY Postings Climb
Monday, September 8, 2014
With a single exception, principal postings gained compared to the Friday, Aug. 29 email Update and stood a half cent to as much as 3.25 cents higher Thursday. The single move down was by a quarter cent on TEPPCO by one seller. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Basin postings all rose 3 cents between the two reporting periods.
API Calls for U.S. to Open Offshore Areas for Development
Monday, September 8, 2014
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has released comments urging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to consider all Outer Continental Shelf areas for inclusion in the government’s offshore oil and natural gas leasing program for 2017-2022.
AccuWeather: Polar Vortex To Return Early in Northeast
Monday, September 8, 2014
While the fall will kick off with days of sunshine and temperatures above normal in some Northeast cities, including New York City and Philadelphia, the polar vortex may make its return for short, sporadic periods this month, forecasts AccuWeather. “The vortex could slip at times, maybe even briefly in September for the Northeast,” AccuWeather lead long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok says. “There could be a significant shot of chilly air that comes across the Great Lakes region and into the interior Northeast sometime in mid- to late-September.”
August Topping Off...
Monday, September 1, 2014
…ThompsonGas (Boonsboro, Md.) has acquired Kenly, N.C.-based Ethco LP Gas, formerly owned by Kenneth Etheridge. The acquisition was effective Aug. 1, and was the most recent in a series of purchases by ThompsonGas. “We’ve acquired several propane providers over the last decade, and will continue to do so,” said CEO Randy Thompson. “The Ethco acquisition will provide an immediate contribution to our business and we are very proud to welcome its customers and employees into the ThompsonGas family….
Rex Energy Acquires Acreage In Pennsylvania and Ohio
Monday, September 1, 2014
Rex Energy (State College, Pa.) has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell to acquire a 100% interest in about 208,000 acres in the Marcellus, Upper Devonian/Burkett, and Utica shales in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The purchase price is reported at $120 million in cash. The transaction was expected to close in August. The assets are located in Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, and Venango counties in Pennsylvania and Columbiana and Mahoning counties in Ohio.
PERC Rolls Out New Logo And Industry Brand Tagline
Monday, September 1, 2014
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has launched a new logo and brand identify for propane—PROPANE Clean American Energy. The logo, anchored by an image of an American bald eagle, is aimed at highlighting that propane is an American-made alternative fuel and that U.S. production from natural gas liquids is at record levels.
NAFTC to Host Day Odyssey To Promote Clean Energy Options
Monday, September 1, 2014
The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) will host a National Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Day Odyssey event Oct. 17. NAFTC, a nationwide program founded in 1992 to promote clean energy options for transportation through AFV education, is based at West Virginia University. The consortium and its more than 50 member schools from Maine to California provides alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicle training across the U.S.
30 Propane Buses to Serve Alabama’s Largest School District
Monday, September 1, 2014
Alabama’s Mobile County Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, has acquired 30 alternative fuel school buses to support its community outreach program, It Starts With Us. The Blue Bird Vision propane-fueled buses will lower operating costs while improving the environment. “Propane is cheaper, cleaner, and domestically produced,” said Alabama Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, who took a test ride on one of the new buses. “This is an environmental initiative I can get behind.”
U.S. Liquid Fuels Production Offsets Supply Disruptions
Monday, September 1, 2014
Record-setting liquid fuels production growth in the U.S. has more than offset the rise in unplanned global supply disruptions over the past few years, although differences in quality and location suggest that the substitution may not be exactly one-for-one, reports the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Kohler Releases 2 Gaseous Models in Mobile Generator Line
Monday, September 1, 2014
Kohler Power Systems (Kohler, Wis.) is offering two new compact gaseous-fueled generators to meet demand for mobile power. The units can easily switch between optional onboard LP fuel tanks and external LP liquid, LP-gas, or natural gas fuel sources. The two models, 50 kVA and 70 kVA, are part of the mobile generator line the company debuted in February.
U.S. Propane Inventories Climb Another 1.9 MMbbl
Monday, September 1, 2014
U.S. propane stocks the week ended Aug. 22 added another 1.9 MMbbl, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its Aug. 27 “This Week in Petroleum” report. As of that reporting period, the nation’s supplies stood at 74.7 MMbbl, 12.6 MMbbl, or 20.4%, higher than a year ago. Gulf Coast volumes increased by 1 MMbbl, the Midwest by 0.6 MMbbl, and the East Coast and Rocky Mountain/West Coast region by 0.1 MMbbl each. Propylene non-fuel-use volumes represented 5% of total propane inventories, off from 5.5% the previous week.
Spots Edge Fractionally Higher
Monday, September 1, 2014
Spot propane at Mont Belvieu and Conway, Kan. headed a bit higher Thursday compared to the Monday email Update, but just fractionally. Belvieu values were up a half cent to 0.625 cents, while Conway gained a half cent, bringing the Midwest trading hub to 1.25 cents under Texas. Market watchers note that, until recently, Conway propane had consistently traded at a premium to Mont Belvieu.